Search engines and other applications, such as price comparison web sites generate web pages that may contain snippets of information taken from other sites in response to user queries. Such applications or web sites typically return web page or another structure which comprises addresses, such as Universal Resource Locators (URLs) together with a snippet of information taken from the address. The snippet of information may comprise text, partial text, images, miniaturized images, or any other information.
Such web pages impose a number of problems. First, the snippet of information may include copyrighted material, which may not be used by others without permission of the right holder. Thus, presenting the information by the application may infringe on the right holder's rights and expose the application manufacturer to legal actions. A similar problem is related to web sites that provide content only to subscribers or other paying entities. The search engine may pay such web site once, and receive information which is then provided to multiple users, who may not access the information without paying.
Another problem relates to content control, such as parental or employer control. Even the information snippet presented may contain materials which should not be accessible to the specific user. For example, a parent or an employer may preclude his or her child or employee from accessing certain web sites or web site types. However, since the browser executed by the specific computer does not access these sites or site types directly, but rather a search engine accesses them, such control may be bypassed by presenting the information snippet to the child or employee.
Refer for example to FIG. 1, showing a web page 100 comprising search results for the term “New York Yankees”. The web comprises multiple entries, some of which may comprise a picture 104 or content 108, any or both of which may be protected by copyright, subject to payment or otherwise restricted.
There is thus a need for a method and apparatus that will enable a search engine or another application or web site, to provide information to a user without infringing copyrights or other rights of a content provider, and while adhering with control mechanisms when displaying information from web sites.